It is important to choose the right company when you buy home security devices like alarms. Wrong choices can have unforeseen consequences, including you becoming liable for claims! Here are some of the factors you must look into.

Before you approach a company, do an assessment of your needs. How much protection do you want? What compromises are you willing to put up with? What is your budget?

Remember, there is no such thing as a perfect home security alarm or system. All design is a compromise and choosing and installing home security products is no exception.

The best home security companies are willing to work with you to come up with a solution that is right for you and your family. They will take into account your house and environs, the perceived threats, your family’s lifestyle and of course, your budget.

Make sure that the company you are considering has been in this business for at least three to five years.

In addition, they should be able to provide you with local referrals of their existing customers. Follow up on the referrals and find out what their experience has been, both good and bad. Ask them specifically what they did not like about the company or it products.

Ask the company about insurance. That includes workman’s compensation, general liability, errors and omissions, etc. Did you know that if the company is not adequately protected, any claims and losses might fall on you?

That’s why you must ask to see insurance certificates for all these items. You have every right to ask, because of the potential liability you are exposing yourself to. Make sure you are protected.

Read the contract carefully. If you don’t understand something, ask the company and if necessary, your lawyer. Check the warranty period and what the warranty covers.

If you have specific requirements that you agree on with the company, ensure it is put into writing.

If you are using a monitored alarm system, find out whether it is monitored locally or outside the state.

Ensure that the company does the full installation themselves and do not subcontract all or part of the work.

Follow the above tips on choosing a company to supply home security devices and alarms and you may save yourself a whole lot of trouble later on.

James Strobes is a home and office security consultant. For information on home security in general, home safety for children and more, see the foregoing links.

Today with the increasing number of cases of stalking, theft, rape and murder, you do not need to be a celebrity or a millionaire to secure your home. While some essential security devices like alarm systems and electronic door locks are affordable, products like electronic sensors, surveillance cameras may be costly for a middle class householder. However, the pressing security demands that you do something to scare the criminals. The answer lies in dummy cameras.

Dummy cameras will scare would-be trespassers and criminals enough for them to leave your home alone. These cameras look exactly like the real ones. There is no difference in these cameras and the real ones except that these are not cameras at all. They look like the real ones and are priced as low as $25-$30. Most of the dummy cameras have cables to give the feeling that it has a connection to a control room where the camera shows on screen whatever image it catches. Some dummy cameras are so designed that they move along with the movement of the object in front of it. The focal lengths printed on the camera lenses, cables and sturdy look can deceive anyone into thinking that these are the real CCTV cameras.

The trick in buying dummy CCTV cameras is that you should be careful that they do not look like dummy cameras. There are dummy cameras that have real camera housing minus the electronics. These cameras really give the real look of a security camera. An original security surveillance camera would be the same when its electronic components are removed. Therefore, an outsider will not have the slightest doubt that it is a dummy CCTV camera. The flashing red LED adds to the authenticity of the dummy CCTV cameras.

Dummy security cameras can fit on the interior of your home as well as mounted on the exterior. There are dummy security cameras that imitate popular companies, which build replicas of their popular models. Shops could use these dummy security cameras and would be an added asset in many cases especially in high robbery areas. Dummy cameras pan from left to right upon detecting movement in front it, so any would-be criminal will think he is being watched. That’s enough to scare a prospective robber. Much like real surveillance cameras dummy security cameras can be mounted on roofs like dome cameras.

Whatever the variety and model that exist in the market for real surveillance cameras, dummy security cameras are there with the same exact look and feel. At low cost and virtually no maintenance these cameras are of great help in averting theft, trespassing and even serious crimes.

Copyright @2006, 4th Media Corporation

You have permission to publish this article electronically free of charge, as long as the bylines and links in the body of the article and the bylines are included.

Natalie Aranda writes on home and family. While some essential security devices like alarm systems and electronic door locks are affordable, products like electronic sensors, surveillance cameras may be costly for a middle class householder. However, the pressing security demands that you do something to scare the criminals. The answer lies in dummy cameras. Dummy security cameras can fit on the interior of your home as well as mounted on the exterior. There are dummy security cameras that imitate popular companies, which build replicas of their popular models.